1. What does Zitkala-Sa remember about her first day in the land of apples?

Ans :
Zitkala-Sa remembers that it was cold. There was snow outside. There was a
rigid discipline imposed on the children. The teachers were emotionless and
rigid. The entire school worked in a monotonous mechanical way. She was
forced to get her hair shingled. She resisted a lot but finally had to give up. So it
was the most unpleasant day for her.

2. How did Zitkala-Sa react to the various sounds that came when the large bell
rang for breakfast.
Ans :
In the Carlisle Indian School, Zitkala-Sa was annoyed and disturbed at the harsh
voices that she heard with the sound of a large bell for breakfast. It had a loud
metallic sound crashing through the belfry overhead and into her sensitive ears.
Then there was an annoying clatter of shoes on the bare floors and constant
clash of harsh noises with an undercurrent of many voices murmuring in an
unidentified tongue. All this was bedlam to her.

3. Which words of her brother made a deep impression on Bama?

Ans :
Her brother Annan told Bama that it was only with the help of education, that
people of their community could earn respect for themselves. He said “if we
study and make progress, we can throw away those indignities. So study with
care, learn all you can.” He suggested to Bama to be keen in her studies and
said, “If you are always ahead in your lessons, people will come to you of their
own accord. So work hard and learn”. These words left a deep impression on
her.

4. What comic incident did Bama narrate to her brother? Why was he not
amused?
Ans :
Bama narrated the funny sight that she witnessed in the marketplace. She saw
that an elderly member of their community was carrying some vadai for the
landlord in a funny manner. He was holding the packet with a string without
touching the packet. It was so comical to see that Bama burst out into laughter.
But her brother told her that the man was holding the packet in that manner
because he was an untouchable and not allowed to touch the things for the
landlord.

5. What is common between Zitkala-Sa and Bama?

Ans :
Both Zitkala-Sa and Bama belonged to the oppressed community. As a result,
they were treated in an inhumane and undignified manner. They both
experienced humiliation in their childhood which left a deep impression on their
minds.

6.Why was Zitkala-Sa in tears on the first day in the land of apples?
Ans :
Zitkala-Sa faced a lot of humiliation on her first day at the Carlisle India School
in the land of apples. Her long hair was forcibly cut. This was undignified for her
because as per her culture and traditions only cowards or mourners had their
hair shingled. Despite her resistance, the author was tied to chair and her hair
was cut. This brought tears to her eyes and broke her spirit.

7. How did Zitkala-Sa try to avoid the loss of her long hair?
Ans :
In order to avoid the cutting of her hair, Zitkala-Sa, crept up the stairs and hid
herself under a bed in a corner place in an open room. But she was found out
and dragged out. She tried to resist by kicking and scratching wildly. She was
carried downstairs and tied to a chair. Her long thick hair was shingled.

8. What were the observations of Zitkala-Sa about the dress code of the children
in the Catholic school?
Ans :
The narrator observed that the children in Carlisle Indian School were very
immodestly dressed. They were in ‘closely clinging dresses’. They wore the stiff
shoes that produced an annoying clatter on bare floors. The small girls used to
wear sleeved aprons and had shingled hair. The characteristic blanket of the
American Indians had been taken away from her.

9.Why did it take Bama one hour to reach home?

Ans :
While coming back home from school, Bama passed through the marketplace.
There were many spectacular sights which distracted Bama. She watched
performing monkey, a man pedalling for many days, peddlers selling fruits,
snakes, etc. coffee shops, fruit tree, huntergypsy, wild lemurs in cages and
leaders of political parties giving speeches, puppet shows and street plays. All
this mesmerized Bama. She got engrossed in all these things and used to take
long to reach home.
10.Why did Bama find the situation funny when an elderly member of their
community was carrying the packet in a particular manner?
Ans :
Bama saw an elderly man of her community carrying the packet of vadai for the
landlord in a funny manner. The packet was tied with a string and the man was
carrying it without touching it. It gave a very comical image which made Bama
laugh.

11.Who was Annan? How did he justify the behaviour of the elder?
Ans :
Annan was Bama’s elder brother. He explained to Bama that it was obvious that
the elderly man would carry the things in that manner because the people of
their community were considered untouchables. They were not supposed to
touch the things meant for the upper castes.

12.What were Zitkala-Sa’s objections to the cutting of hair?

Ans :
Zitkala-Sa objected to the cutting of the hair because in her community cutting
of hair was considered inauspicious and undignified. Only unskilled warriors,
mourners or cowards had their hair shingled. So it was the greatest humiliation
for anyone.

13. What were some of the oddities or the novelties that Bama watched on the
way?
Ans :
While coming back from school, Bama watched performing monkey, snake
charmer, a pedaller who would go on cycling for days together, and the
huntergypsy with its wild lemur in cages, etc.

14. Why was Zitkala-Sa’s behaviour in dining room peculiar to others?

Ans :
The children of the Carlisle Indian School were trained to act mechanically. At
the time of breakfast, they all lined up, and moved to the dining room when a
bell was sounded. There were three bells at regular intervals to guide the
students for eating. The first bell was to draw the chair, second was to make
everyone sit and the third was to start eating. Bama didn’t know anything about
it so she pulled the chair after the first bell and sat on it immediately. So her
behaviour was peculiar to others.
15. What details of the inhuman behaviour of the upper castes were given to
Bama by her brother?
Ans :
Annan, Bama’s elder brother, told her that they belonged to a lower class and
were considered as untouchables. They were denied dignity, respect or honour
in the society. They were exploited and degraded and were forced to do manual
work.

LONG ANSWERS

1. ‘But this eating by formula was not the hardest trial in that first day.’ Says
Zitkala-Sa. What does she mean by ‘eating by formula’?
Ans :
In the Carlisle Indian School, the children moved like robots. They were herded
together and tuned up to move when a bell sounded. The narrator was not
aware of it and she felt amazed to see this. The children used to sit and start
eating as per the ringing of the bell. Even the prayers were done with the ringing
of the bell. The three bells were sounded, one after another and only then they
could move and eat. Zitkala-Sa found it a crazy idea to do so.

2. Untouchability is not only a crime, it is inhuman too. Why and how did Bama
decide to fight against it?
Ans :
‘We Too are Human Beings’ raises the issue of social discrimination. Bama
learns the stigma of social untouchability that the lower caste people were a
victim of at a very early stage in her life. She witnessed an elderly man walking
in a street holding out a packet by its string, without touching it. At that time,
she found the incident very funny, but later learnt that the upper caste people
did not touch anything given by the untouchable community to which she and
her brother belonged. She was furious at the treatment meted out by the upper
caste people and felt hurt. Bama’s elder brother Annan advised her that if she
studied and made progress, she would be able to throw away these indignities.
To overcome all these issues, she needed to stay ahead in her studies. She
studied hard and stood first in her class and later through her writings she was
able to fight the injustice.

3. “We too are human beings,” highlights high caste-low caste discrimination in
society. How do low caste people suffer on account of this? What advice is given
to Bama to overcome this problem?
Ans :
‘We too are human beings’ highlights the prevailing discrimination in the society
in the name of high caste and low caste. In her childhood, Bama realised that
she belonged to the lower caste and was considered ‘untouchable’. She found
that the people of her community were exploited and humiliated. She felt sad,
let down and angry and hated the exploitation. She believed it to be a curse
against society. She wanted to protest against this system. Her brother advised
her that it was only through education, they could gain respect. He advised her
to work hard and learn. Bama obeyed her brother, studied hard with great
determination and topped the class. As a result, many people tried to befriend
her.

4. Describe the episode in which Zitkala-Sa endured the cutting of her long hair.
Ans :
It was Zitkala-Sa’s first day at the Carlisle Indian School. Her friend Judewin had
warned her that the palefaced woman was talking about the cutting of the
narrator’s long hair. Zitkala-Sa was shocked and surprised at this because as per
her mother only unskilled warriors or mourners had their hair shingled. So she
decided to resist and struggle but not to submit. She crept upstairs unnoticed
and hid under a bed in a dark room. She could hear loud voices calling her name
and footsteps nearby. She was searched for and discovered. She was dragged
out. She scratched and kicked and tried to resist but all in vain. Finally, she was
tied fast to a chair and her thick braids were cut off. At this point she lost her
spirit and felt extremely humiliated at being treated in an undignified manner.

5. “It is better to have tried and failed, then never to have tried at all”. Bring out
the truth of the statement with reference to the story.
Ans :
In ‘Memories of Childhood’, both Zitkala-Sa and Bama exemplify this statement
clearly. They both tried to resist the oppression and discrimination. Both
wanted to overcome the humiliation and indignities that they had to face in
their childhood. Zitkala-Sa resisted the cutting of her long hair. Though she
failed in that resistance at that moment, this incident gave her so much
determination and strength that later on she was recognized as a champion
fighter against the prejudices and humiliation against women of that time.
Similarly, Bama also grew up with great confidence to eradicate the evil of
untouchability through her writings. She wrote about the exploitation and
humiliation that people face due to class and caste discrimination.
Thus, both the women tried hard to work against oppression despite their failed
attempts in the childhood.
6. The stories of Bama and Zitkala-Sa prove that to succeed in life one must be
determined and hardworking. It involves grit, perseverance and enormous
willpower. Write an article.
Ans :
Success Demands Work, Work and Work
Hard work is the key to success. There is no doubt success demands strong
willpower and determination to excel. To succeed in life one must be clear
about one’s goals and be full of grit and determination to achieve that goal.
Both Bama and Zitkala-Sa exemplify these qualities. They both faced
humiliation, torture and discrimination in their childhood, but didn’t give up.
They were determined to work for the oppressed and continued their efforts as
they grew up. Zitkala-Sa led many social movements and became a social
activist. Bama kept on raising the issue of untouchability through her writings.
Hard work with the strong willpower can achieve difficult targets. There is
nothing impossible for those who believe in themselves and never give up.

7. What inspiration did you get from the stories of Bama and Zitkala-Sa? Write
your feelings in your diary.
Ans :
Monday
7 March 20XX 8:30 p.m.
It was such a different kind of feeling that I was filled with when I read about
the childhood experiences of Zitkala-Sa and Bama. Though they both belonged
to different times and cultures, yet their experiences of oppression and
humiliation are similar. They both represent the strength of a woman. They
both were tortured in the name of race and caste but they didn’t give in. They
made their humiliation and indignities as their strengths and with their grit and
determination and strong willpower, they both emerged as the champions of
the oppressed women.
Zitkala-Sa became a social activist and worked for the upliftment of native
American women and Bama, through her writings evoked the spirit of equality
and the need to eradicate untouchability and caste discrimination.
I am full of admiration for the two and wish that one day I would also be strong
like them to raise my voice against injustice.
Mukesh